


Signs of Attraction

by Vulpes_Incendium



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: F/F, Gourmet Trio, Love Triangles, M/M, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:47:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26028196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vulpes_Incendium/pseuds/Vulpes_Incendium
Summary: Yao Wang, 35, single father of 2, went on a blind date arranged by his friends after he came out as homosexual. His self-esteem was at rock bottom, thinking no one would ever date him, especially after his wife left his family to become a nun because of his sexuality. Things took a turn when he met his handsome blind date Arthur and his new boss Ivan seemed to show interest in him.Warning: Cliché, cracks, I suck at writing romance, crack pairs?, Kdrama level bs, swear words, GOURMET TRIO.
Relationships: China/England (Hetalia), China/Russia (Hetalia)
Comments: 17
Kudos: 29





	1. Blind Date

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! This fic is just a casual fic for me to shower China with love and shove the GOURMET TRIO in your faces. So expect cliches, Kdrama level stuff and cracks, soap opera style. I'd be using this fic to try out different characters. If you want a more serious fic, go check out my HongIce fic "Circle of Life".
> 
> I had an ending planned for this fic but I may change my mind, so comment who China should be with, Iggy or Russia (or others 👀) based on the story!

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Yao asked nervously on the phone, waiting at the restaurant, where his blind date set up by his friends was going to happen.

“Oh come on Yao! This fortune teller is real good at this! He said your star signs, blood types and faces match perfectly with each other! Hell he even read your tarot and said your luck in love is turning! Trust me, _mon ami_ , he's always on point with these things, he even predicted the lottery I won last week! So just calm down and enjoy your time!” His friend Francis assured him, who had been trying to get him on a date after the unfortunate incident five years ago.

Yao sighed, “Again with your fortune telling bullshit. I don't believe in those things! And what if he doesn't like me?” It's not that he didn't believe in horoscopes or those kinds of stuff, he just wanted to show his traditional family that they were wrong. He was for sure an Atheist, but it didn't mean that he didn't like looking at zodiac signs predictions on gossip magazines that no one reads or listening to Francis hyping about his luck in career and love. It was entertaining and some of the times it didn't seem like coincidence, he just didn't want to have too high expectations.

“Well then try again next time! There are tons of men out there trying to get a piece of that hot ass of yours, believe me, I know.” He could almost hear Francis' signature wink through the phone, he rolled his eyes but was still grateful for his friend's effort.

“Alright, thanks Francis. I'll see you on Saturday then.” Yao hung up the phone, taking a deep breath and straightened his shirt, trying to prepare himself for his date.

He pulled his long ponytail, a habit he does when he is nervous, as he tried to calm himself down. Curls started to appear at the end of his hair because of this. His friends had always joked about this habit that he would be the first one to lose all his hair, or at least a receding hairline. His nervousness was very understandable though, as this was the first in a long time he had agreed to Francis' set-up date, or any dates at all.

“Hey I'd stop that if I were you. Wouldn't want to lose that gorgeous hair of yours.”

Yao stiffened as a handsome man sat opposite him. He observed the man as he tidied his short blond hair elegantly. The navy blue blazer with the maroon shirt underneath hugged his slender figure perfectly. The diamond-encrusted Rolex on his left wrist blinded Yao. His glazing green eyes, however, brought back Yao's attention, glistening like emerald. The thick eyebrows above contoured his chiseled face, presenting his features like a sculpture. “I um... I think you got the wrong seat sir.” He gulped.

“Aren't you here for the blind date? My friend showed me your picture, you are more beautiful in real life.” The man winked.

 _'My... Picture? Aiyah, Francis must have given the fortune teller his picture for the Physiognomy thing or whatever.'_ He thought. “Oh I see... um... Hi, my name is Yao.” He stuttered shyly.

“I'm Arthur, nice to meet you.” The man replied.

Silence was killing them as they were reading the menu. Yao could not stand any longer and didn't want to waste this attractive man's time. “Okay let me get this straight. I'm 35, a single dad with 2 kids. I'm just a secretary with a small income. Short, thin, unattractive, lack of fashion sense and boring. I don't want to waste any of your time mister, you can find way better men than me. You don't need to stay to pity me. You can leave now.”

Arthur looked at Yao in confusion, blinking a couple times before speaking. “What... what are you talking about? Didn't you hear what I just said? Did I really disappoint you so much?”

 _'You are more beautiful in real life.'_ Yao recalled. 'No. This is just a convenient pickup line he uses on every man.' He was drowned in his own thoughts.

“Yao? Sorry, I know I am not the most attractive man out there but I am really interested in knowing about you. I am very attracted to you.” Arthur tried to clear Yao's mind.

Arthur's words got Yao out of confusion, he shook his head. “Wh... what? Are you kidding me?You're like the hottest guy I've ever met! ” Realising how direct his words were, Yao blushed deeply and covered his face with his hands.

Arthur chuckled, thinking this was the most adorable thing he had ever seen. “Well I'm glad to hear that.” He ordered the meal for them and some wine, knowing Yao wouldn't be able to do that in this state. He turned back to Yao, gentle smile relaxed the Chinese man. “So Yao, you have two kids huh? Me too.”

Yao recovered from his embarrassment and looked at Arthur disbelievingly. “Really?”

Arthur nodded. “Twins. 16. Matthew is a sweetheart and Alfred... Oh boy, that boy got himself into so much trouble I don't even know what to do with him. But I love them both so much.”

“That sounds exactly like my Yongsoo, always loud and hyperactive, he can never stay away from trouble! My older one Kiku is however the complete opposite, quiet and mature. He is also a great artist! They are 15 and 17 by the way. In fact, they are the ones who encouraged me to go on this date.” Yao explained proudly. The conversation about their children made Yao relax. He surely love his sons, but he had always worried that having children would be a big disadvantage in the dating scene. Knowing Arthur was in the same situation as him threw all his worries away. It was so relieving learning how much Arthur and him had in common.

“Sounds like they care about you a lot.” Arthur glanced at the waitress as she returned with their food and drinks. He gestured a toast after both of their glasses were filled. Yao took the hint and clinked their glasses.

Yao took a sip of wine and sighed, imagining his kids back home, contemplating how lucky he is. Well, lucky might not be the best to describe his situation, but his sons were blessings from heaven to him. “Yes they are. But I'm sure yours are the same too.”

“Oh I'm not sure about mine!” Arthur chuckled as he placed his glass onto the table. “But they do show concerns from time to time.”

“If you don't mind me asking, where's the mother?” Yao asked curiously and started cutting his steak.

Arthur shrugged and mirrored Yao's action. “I got her knocked up at a college party. God we were so drunk. Next thing I knew, she came to me three months later and told me she was pregnant with my child. I tried dating her, but it just didn't work. She tried to get rid of the babies but I stopped her, promising that I would take care of them. And here we are now, me and the boys 16 years later.”

The story had Yao's eyes wide open, ignoring the food. “So... she just left you with the babies?”

Arthur nodded. “She wanted freedom, her own career. Having two kids at 18 is not quite easy for that. I didn't expect twins though, but they are my sons after all, I have the responsibility to take care of them.” He took a bite of the steak. “And what about you? The mother?”

Yao stiffened when he heard the question. He has always avoided the topic about his wife as he still felt guilty for what happened. For some reasons, Arthur's aura warmed him up, giving him the courage to explain his story. “Well um... It was an arranged marriage, when we were 18. My wife um... left us 5 years ago.” Yao said lightly, avoiding eye contact. “She went away to become a nun. She thought me being gay was her fault for not fulfilling the responsibility of a wife.”

Arthur furrowed his brows and gasped. “Oh I'm sorry. I didn't mean to...”

“No, it's my fault. My wife came all the way from Asia to marry me, I didn't have a decent job to begin with. Imagine sending your daughter all the way to America to marry a man who couldn't provide her a happy life.” He sighed. “My family is really traditional, they could not allow someone in the family to be homosexual, it is simply not honourable to them. They cut all ties with me right after they learnt about it.” Yao said nervously, sipping some wine trying to calm himself down.

“That's simply ridiculous. No offence to your family but how could you disown your kid just because of their sexuality? I would NEVER do that to my kids!” Arthur exclaimed passionately. His utensils hit the plate, sending a loud noise to the other diners, grabbing their attention. Noticing that he was a bit out of control, he took a deep breath and resumed his composed posture. “Sorry, I get quite compassionate when it comes to these kinds of topics. So how did you come out?”

Yao was shocked to see the gentleman getting so agitated over his personal issues, but was also glad that someone was on his side. “I got drunk one night and my gay friend brought me back home. He's the real touchy type, you know, with or without alcohol. Wait... I think he likes women too, I honestly don't think he cares... Pansexual? That's how they're called these days, right? Anyway, my wife saw us and thought I was cheating with him. I tried explaining to her but she wouldn't listen. We got into a huge fight and I accidentally confessed to her.” He turned away from Arthur's gaze and started pulling his hair again. “I just couldn't hide it anymore you know? I'm just not attracted to women.”

“You know you look really cute when you do that, right?” Arthur smirked through the edge of the glass as he took another sip of wine.

“I... W... What?” The Chinese man quickly stopped his action, placing his hand back on the table. He was completely caught off guard by what his date just said. He turned away trying to hide his flushed face, but Arthur caught every bit of it.

“I see you are not used to compliments, but you need to get used to it now, you are going to get a lot of them from now on.” He winked. “Especially from me.”

 _'How did this man turn a 35-year-old into a high school girl with just a couple sentences? I just don't understand. Alright now Yao, stop embarrassing yourself and get yourself together. Even if he doesn't want to date you, you still want to be cool enough to be his friend at least, okay?'_ Yao kept slapping his brain with words, as if that could clear up his mind, yet it actually did the opposite. Clearing his throat, he tried to keep his composure. “I... I'm sorry. I guess I'm just not very used to these um... dating stuff in general... let alone with men.”

Arthur smiled, “It's okay, we'll take it slow. We'll get to know each other more.”

Yao gasped. “You... you mean... you want to see me again?”

“Of course I do! But the question is, do _you_ want to see me again?” Arthur looked at Yao with a sincere gaze.

Those piercing green eyes penetrated Yao's auburn ones, as if they could puncture his brain and melt his soul. He nodded lightly, “Of... of course I want to see you again.”

“I'm glad.” Arthur smiled.

* * *

“So what else do you want to do?” asked Arthur as they left the restaurant. He insisted paying for both of them, but Yao refused, so they split the bill.

“I um... I do want to spend more time with you, but my new boss is arriving tomorrow so I need to prepare. Plus my kids maybe worrying about me.” Yao held his hands together, looking down. It wasn't a lie, but what in his mind at the moment was that he didn't really know how this date would end up, he's slow when it comes to relationships after all and more importantly, he didn't want his sons to have any expectations with his love life.

Arthur offered to drive Yao back home, but he turned it down. Understanding Yao's concern with his children witnessing his first date, Arthur chose not to push more. “Well then, have a good night. Here's my number.” He walked closer to Yao and placed a piece of paper with his phone number on his hand. “I had a really good time, thank you.” Arthur leaned forward and kissed Yao on his cheek, smiling victoriously. He gave him a wink and walked towards his car.

Yao froze. His face turned completely red and his heart raced rapidly. Never in his whole 35-year life had he experienced anything like this. He thanked god or Buddha or whoever blessed him with this moment that Arthur didn't see him in this state. He didn't want to embarrass himself any further in front of this gorgeous man, who had the magic to shatter his usual strict demeanor. Words cannot describe this moment, but he was so grateful for his friends and sons for encouraging him and making this date happen.

Maybe he was worth it. 

Maybe he was worth all the compliments and the time with such an amazing man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 preview: 
> 
> “For the love of Odin, I'M. NOT. A. VIRGIN. I HAVE 2 SONS FOR BUDDHA'S SAKE!” If he didn't attract the other co-workers' attention just now, he certainly did now. Yao immediately ducked his head behind the cubicle, hiding his embarrassment.  
> ***  
> My friend just pointed out that China is doing the Aiyah in his head and I didn't realise it, I just went straight on AUTO AIYAH MODE. This is how Asian I am.


	2. New Boss

Yao arrived at his office extra early to prepare himself. He had heard rumours about his new boss that he was the scariest, most intimidating person on earth. Russians. Just by imagining a tall, big man with a glaring stare, looking down at him condescendingly, already gave him the chills. _Who knows if he was affiliated with the Russian Mafia?_ Praying for his life, he hoped that he won't get fired by the new boss, it's not easy for him to secure another job within this field. ' _Damn it, why had I forgotten to check the daily horoscope before I left home? Right, I betta check out that website Francis sent me when I got back to my desk. Please, please, please let Libra have a smooth day. I don't wanna be fired, I promised Yongsoo to buy that Switch thing for his birthday...'_

As he was dwelling in his thoughts, the image of Arthur appeared again. He had been having this particular face locked in his mind the whole night, causing his lack of sleep. This sweet insomnia was definitely worth it though, as he had the time of his life just by thinking about the date last night. _No, it's not the time for that. Time to be professional._ He splashed some cold water to his face to freshen up. As he was turning to leave the bathroom, a voice called.

“Hello, I am new here. Can you show me around the office?”

A tall blond man smiled at Yao sweetly. His round, chubby face looked so youthful, especially when paired with his smooth, flawless skin. His violet eyes shone under the fluorescent lighting like the purest amethyst crystal, clear and innocent. His black suit held his big, yet toned body tight, accentuating his broad shoulders. The creamy white scarf softened the harsh structure the suit was providing. Every part of the man's body screamed at Yao to hug him like a giant teddy bear. Cute, _too cute_ , and cute things were Yao's biggest weakness.

Yao slapped himself in his mind. “Oh... sure. It has to be quick though, I have important work to do today.” He fiddled with the edge of his shirt sleeves, biting his lips to stop himself from squealing, quickly turned away from the man to make it easier to restrain himself from squishing his cheeks.

While Yao was leading the way through the office, he couldn't help but notice the man behind was looking up and down at him constantly, totally uninterested in the tour. _'What's the problem with this guy, he was the one who asked me to show him around and now he isn't even paying attention.'_ He thought, but of course he wouldn't show it, he's always “Yao the Mr. Nice” and it'd be awkward if he had a bad relationship with a coworker. _'Wait, perhaps there's something at my back?'_ Yao touched the back of his shirt, but nothing seemed to be abnormal, oh well. The smell of freshly brewed coffee- well, as nice as their crappy coffee machine could make- drifted into Yao's nostril, Yao's face immediately brightened up and turned to the man. “So the room at the corner is very important. It's the pantry! You go there when you're hungry, okay?” Yao joked, trying to bring the man's attention away from him.

“Da!” The violet-eyed man nodded his head excitedly, not looking to the pantry's direction, keeping eye contact with Yao.

“D... da? What is it?” Yao asked, he shifted his glance slightly, feeling a bit shy.

“Oh silly me, it means 'yes' in Russian.” The man said with a slight Russian accent.

“Oh I see.” Thousands of questions now appeared in Yao's mind. _'Russian? So he speaks Russian? Or does it mean he's from Russia? Oh my god, Russians. Does he have anything to do with the Russian Mafia? Please Buddha, I don't want to die yet. Wait, why are there suddenly so many Russians here? Aiyah, why does it matter anyway. Yao, you have a more important Russian to take care of, just leave this Russian be!'_ Yao sighed, didn't want to waste more time on a stranger who did not appreciate his effort. Just as he was about to complain to the new employee, the man pointed at the room behind them.

“Here we are. We have arrived at our destination. Thank you so much for the tour, Yao.” The tall man said, his smile never faded.

Yao puzzled. “A... arrived? How... how do you know my name?” He turned his face to the sign next to the door, his eyes widened.

**METEOR FOOD CO.**

**CEO: IVAN BRAGINSKY**

“I was told that my new secretary is a beautiful Chinese man with long, black hair. I don't think I would mistaken someone else for that. Da?” God that smile again.

Shocked by the news, Yao was already distracted from his comment about his appearance. “You... me... me... you... Wait, you are my new scary Russian boss?” Yao exclaimed, immediately covered his mouth. _Way to make the perfect first impression, Yao. Way to go._

Ivan looked at Yao with his big, round eyes, confused by his comment. “You think I am scary?” He pouted, slightly offended. _Jesus Christus, that face is too damn cute._ Yao wanted to pinch his cheeks so hard.

“Uh... No! I just heard rumours about you being in the mafia or someth... I mean... Oh Buddha, what am I talking about.” Immensely embarrassed by what he said, Yao hit his forehead with his palm. Ivan raised an eyebrow, pursed his lips, trying to suppress his laughter. _Great, his boss now thinks he's an idiot. He's fired for sure._ “I-I'm sorry, I-I guess I just have very good imagination.”

Ivan didn't seem to be startled by Yao's explanation, instead, found it cute. “Oh silly Yao! You're adorable. No I am not in the mafia, don't worry.” Yao was once again greeted by that childish smile and a light pat on his shoulder. _Who calls an old man like him 'adorable'? Has he looked at himself at the mirror?_ He was led by Ivan into his room, which reminded him that no matter how friendly Ivan looked, this man was still giving him his paycheck every month.

Yao cleared his throat, starting to go through his routine he used to do with his old boss. “Um... Mr. Braginsky. So um... would you like to know your agenda for today, or should I go get you a coffee first? Oh! Would you want me to hang up your coat? You have a meeting at 10:30 so I think you should hurry or else...”

“Please, call me Ivan. And no, I have people bringing me my coffee. You are my secretary, I should treat you like one, not a slave.” Ivan's sudden seriousness startled Yao, he looked at him with an intense gaze. “Thank you for your arrangement by the way.”

“You're welcome... I-Ivan.” Yao was at loss of words, never had he been treated with respect in this company. His old boss ordered him around for the most miscellaneous things, like bringing his suits to dry clean, walking his dogs, babysitting his kids... you name it. None of those was in his job description, but he'd do it anyway, he got to keep his job, he had three mouths to feed after all. In fact, this was also the reason why most of his coworkers looked down on him, he's just the boss' lackey.

Noticing Yao's speechlessness, Ivan changed the topic. “So Yao, tell me about yourself.” Yao was still utterly confused. “Since we will be spending a lot of time together, yes?”

Yao blinked, coming back to reality. “Me? I'm just a boring 35 years old single dad with 2 kids.” Ivan raised an eyebrow at the word 'single'. “I've been working at this company for 10 years now. What else? I guess there's nothing interesting about me. Well I meet up with my friends at the Gourmet Club every Saturday, but you don't need to know that. Oh sorry, I guess I speak too much again.” He lowered his head, feeling embarrassed.

Ivan leaned in and pressed his hand on Yao's cheek, pulling his face up so that they were looking at each other eye-to-eye, gently stroking his skin with his thumb. His palm was so big that it nearly covered half of Yao's face. “Please don't depreciate yourself. Everything about you is interesting to me.”

Yao felt his face burnt where Ivan touched him, hell, his whole face was on fire! He was starting to have trouble breathing as the tall man got so close to him. He was clearly not used to the sudden affection people were giving him lately, yesterday from Arthur and now from Ivan? Okay, sometimes Francis does too, _but Francis is Francis, that doesn't count._

Ivan finally retracted his hand after what felt like forever, clearly satisfied by Yao's reaction, but he didn't want him to feel more uncomfortable. “Would you mind going through today's agenda please then, Yao?” He smiled.

“Oh... sure.”

* * *

Could not compute. Yao's brain could not compute.

_'Why all of a sudden is he surrounded by people who seem to be attracted to him? All at once? AFTER 35 YEARS? This can't be right. No. Arthur is probably a playboy and Ivan... Russians are probably just eccentric. Yes, that's why. There are no other possible explanations.'_

Yao rushed to his colleague Heracles' cubicle, trying to find someone to analyse the situation with him. There he saw the messy-haired man, napping on his laptop. Seriously, if he hadn't been the best product designer in the company, he would have been fired long ago. The cat food department held the best record in sales for 7 years straight thanks to this man, contributing 40% of the sales for the whole company.

“Heracles!” No response. “Heracles Watermelon!” Again, no response, not even his ridiculous nickname from a mistake his parents made due to miscommunication when they first arrived in America as they didn't speak English, now it became his middle name that Yao loved teasing him with. Thank god they didn't mess up his first name to flower egg or banana milk or something. “LORD FELINE!!!” Yao shouted as loud as he could that would not bring the others' attention. He failed miserably.

Heracles sat up as if nothing happened. “Morning Yao, do you know the longest cat recorded was 48.5 inches long?”

Yao rolled his eyes, he was too used to Heracles' unexplainably deep knowledge of cats. “Oh wow, that's one long cat.” He feigned a surprised reply.

“You know what else is long?” Heracles asked, lifting one of his brows.

Yao gave him a side eye. “Heracles...”

“That's right.” The Greek man smirked.

“Oh my Zeus. Heracles! You always do that! That's it, I'm leaving.” Yao had had enough of his coworker's teasing.

“Oh come on, Yao. Here, have some coffee.” Yao unwillingly accepted the coffee his friend offered and took a seat next to Heracles. The man's smooth voice somehow always had the magic to calm him down and convince him to listen to him. It had always been like that since their high school days, Heracles was a year senior to Yao. He might seem to be lazy and unmotivated all the time, but he actually had really good grades in Maths and Literature. They met at the Mythology club and bonded over their love for mythological tales. Despite Heracles' lifestyle, Yao looked up to him and trusted him a lot. “I heard you went on a blind date yesterday. Finally!”

“Jesus! Does Francis really have to tell everyone about it?” His cheeks started to redden again as Arthur's face resurfaced in his brain, he took a sip of coffee to hide his blush.

“Is he big?”

Yao choked. He looked around frantically, making sure nobody heard their conversation. He knew his friend was always direct, but that was a bit too much that he wouldn't refrain himself even in the office. Still smoothening his breath from coughing, he glared at his colleague. “Aiyah! I swear to God, you and Francis are the worst! It was just a date! We only had dinner! Nothing else!”

“You sure that's it?” Heracles gave him another smirk.

Yao's face turned pink slowly, biting his lower lips as he recalled the date. “Well... He kissed me... Just my cheek!”

“Aw... Look at our little virgin. Francis would be proud.” He teased.

“For the love of Odin, I'M. NOT. A. VIRGIN. I HAVE 2 SONS FOR BUDDHA'S SAKE!” If he didn't attract the other co-workers' attention just now, he certainly did now. Yao immediately ducked his head behind the cubicle, hiding his embarrassment.

“Well, you're a gay virgin. So, may I finally welcome you to the club.” Heracles spread his arms, pretending to be a host welcoming his guests.

“Whatever.” Yao scoffed, rolling his eyes. “What are you working on?”

Heracles blinked, as if he just woke up, realising what he was doing before he fell asleep. “Oh yeah, Yao. Do you think Russian Blues prefer Tuna or Salmon?”

“Seriously? I don't think they care as long as they have food.” Yao shrugged. _Russian._ That rang a bell. Oh god, not again. It reminded him why he was coming to Heracles in the first place. “Hey, one question. Are Russians, like, super affectionate?”

Heracles looked at Yao in disbelief. “Huh? The word 'affectionate' would be the last word to describe Russians.” He seemed to notice Yao's confused thoughts. “Why are you asking?”

Yao's gaze shifted. “You... You know our new Boss? He's Russian...”

“And?”

“And he seems to be quite... affectionate.”

Heracles raised an eyebrow, looking at Yao solidly, but smirking inside. “Elaborate.”

“Well... He was staring at me all the time and kept praising me and...” Yao looked down to his coffee mug, rubbing his thumb on the handle. “He got really close to me and was caressing my face...”

Heracles whistled, looking at Yao up and down repeatedly. “Can't believe our virgin baby Yao hunted down two in a row within 24 hours. Not even Francis is at that level! I must say I'm impressed.”

“No! It's not like that! I'm sure! Ivan is just...”

“My, my. 'Ivan'. Yao, I thought you're the innocent one. Who knows what else you've been hiding from us.” The Greek teased. He leaned in close to Yao's ear and whispered. “I'd say go for the Russian, you know... They're big.” He winked.

“Aiyah! As I said, there is nothing between us. Ivan is...”

“What about me?”

The voice startled both men. They turned and saw a smiling Ivan, leaning against Heracles' cubicle. Heracles stood up casually, holding up his right hand. “You must be Mr. Braginsky. I'm Heracles Papadiamantopoulos, chief product designer of the cat food department.”

Ivan didn't seem to be fazed by Heracles' surname, he must have done his research on his staffs. He shook his hand firmly, adding two taps on it with his left hand. “Mr. Papadiamantopoulos, our Golden Designer! I've heard a lot about you. Thank you so much for your hard work and let's keep going to bring this company further!”

Both men turned to the still-shocked Yao. Ivan let go of Heracles' hand, grabbed Yao's arm and pulled him up from his seat, surprising him. “Let's have lunch together, Yao!”

Yao nodded lightly, not that he had a choice, right? “S... sure.” When he turned back to Heracles as he was following Ivan, he saw a big smirk on his face. _'Oh no, this won't be good if this gets to Francis.'_

* * *

Yao shifted on his seat, nervous about how much Ivan had heard from Heracles' and his conversation. _'How long had he been there? Did he hear about Arthur? Wait, why does that matter anyway? Employees are free to have their personal life! Oh. Maybe it's just unprofessional to talk about those stuff in the office. For the love of Buddha, I don't want to lose my job...'_

“What do you want to eat?”

Yao took a quick glance at Ivan and looked around, finding it weird that the restaurant was empty, especially at this time of the day, even for a high-class restaurant like this. “Why... Why is there nobody here?”

“Oh, I don't like to be disturbed, especially when I'm with someone important.” Ivan smiled and looked back down to the menu.

 _'Someone important? He meant me?'_ Ivan left him speechless yet again, how this man did that he didn't know, he just knew he's making him feel good about himself and he appreciated that.

Yao had absolutely no clue what to order, he was torn between Fillet mignon and Foie gras, but this was not what concerned him the most, he was more concerned about his wallet. _Damn it_ , all the price tags, but he hadn't had something so expensive for so long anyway, he should treat himself. Besides, it could be a great chance to learn from an exquisite restaurant like this so he could maybe figure out the recipe and share it with his friends at the Gourmet Club.

Ivan chuckled at Yao's slightly frowning face, finding it amusing when Yao got so serious. “You like food a lot, yes?”

Yao looked up from his menu, blinked a few time before catching what Ivan was talking about. “I find it satisfying when I figure out how to replicate a delicious dish I try. I like to get every detail right. Cooking is like science, every ingredient combines differently and produces a different taste.” He explained passionately.

“I would like to try your cooking sometime.” Ivan smiled.

Yao blushed a little. “I um... am not really that good. It's just a hobby.”

As Ivan was trying to respond to him, the waiter approached their table, standing tall and straight, yet his eyes showed a bit of nervousness. “Mr. Braginsky, Mr. Wang. Are you ready to order?”

“I would like the Fillet mignon please.” Yao and Ivan said at the same time. They quickly turned and looked into each other's eyes and both blushed a little.

“Two Fillet mignon that is. We have also prepared a bottle of Merlot '73, it goes well with the dish. Would you like to have that, sir?” Ivan nodded, signalling the waiter to spare them some alone time.

Once the waiter left, Ivan turned his focus back to Yao, as always. He gave him a serious look, eyebrows furrowed a bit, his gaze solid which confused Yao a little. “So Yao, are you attracted to men?”

Yao coughed loudly, not caring about his lack of manner at such a classy place, but hey, they were alone anyway. He should maybe start getting used to people being to direct, Heracles, Francis, and now Ivan. _But why does it matter to him? What does his sexuality have to do with his job?_ Yao had heard multiple tales about discrimination against gay people, was it happening to him now? Right when he started to act on his sexuality? _'But wait, Heracles said that Ivan... Aiyah, I really need to stop thinking too much.'_ Calming himself down, blinking hard, trying to figure out if he had heard Ivan correctly. “Why... Why do you ask?”

Yet another of Ivan's signature smile. “I just want to make sure you like men so I can start making my move on you.” He answered with any hesitation. “I wanted to ask you this morning, but I thought it wouldn't be appropriate as we were in the office, but now it's just Yao and Ivan.”

To say Yao was shocked by the statement would be an understatement. Never in his life had he met a person so direct with confessions. _“Yao and Ivan”_ _... That sounded so intimate and quite sweet to be honest, it did roll quite well off the tongue._ Yao tried to move away from Ivan's intense eye contact, avoiding the possibility for Ivan to look through his eyes into his thoughts. He was never a direct person when it comes to affection, he was more comfortable with keeping things subtle, but this new sensation excited him. “I um... Yes, I am gay. In fact, I just came out not too long ago.”

“And you are not seeing anyone, da?”

“Not... Exactly.” Yao stuttered. _'Wait... Did he overhear Heracles and my conversation? Did he know about my date with Arthur? Why does it matter anyway? Arthur is not my boyfriend... yet. Oh what am I even thinking?'_

“Perfect.”

The lunch was surprisingly pleasant, they chatted a lot about the differences between growing up in America and Russia, and the food was of course top-notched. Yao learnt that Ivan was sent to Russia as a kid and grew up there, because his father believed that _'America is for the weak'_ , whatever that means. He had an older sister who was a nurse serving in the army and he enjoyed skydiving. He had once had a malfunctioned parachute, but somehow he made it out alive. He said it was because of the thick snow, Yao didn't know if he should believe him or not, but Ivan was always full of surprise. Ivan's company calmed yet excited Yao, it was like a whole new world he had never explored. All the worries he had the whole morning had vanished, well, the whole confession thing still confused him a bit, but it's not an issue for now, at least he felt happy and he still had his job.

As Ivan left for the bathroom, Yao's phone vibrated.

_Hello Yao, are you free this Sunday?_

_Would you like to meet up?_

_Love, Arthur xxoo_

Yao giggled lightly at the message, smiling sweetly, cheeks turning pink, oblivious to the pair of violet eyes far away staring at him with jealousy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3 preview:  
>   
> “What's up bitches!” Sadık busted into Francis' apartment, holding a bottle of Rakı and a box of Turkish Delight.  
>   
> yes the gourmet bois are finally here 👀👀👀  
> ***  
> Yao is an Atheist here, hence mentioning all the “gods”. I hope you're not offended, it's just a joke.  
>   
> Wow, so I revisited this chapter after few months and it took me 2 nights to edit it. I mean it's good that it means my writing has improved a lot, but omg was that hard and I still find this chapter shitty, though I really enjoyed writing Greece, such a surprise for me, he's so much fun, definitely gonna write him more. I mean it's not a serious fic anyway, if you want a more serious fic go check out Circle of Life. The rest of this fic is gonna be like this no plans, whatever comes up (though I have something planned) but yea dont expect too much.
> 
> The you me me you thing is from this: www.youtube.com/watch?v=hA8lElh7LFg (why do i have to explain my own jokes smh)
> 
> Now that Russia is here, who are you rooting for? Arthur or Ivan?! Comment below!


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